UCM Professor Hughes Inducted Into Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame

Brian Hughes, professor and director of the Athletic Training Program, is pictured with his wife, Kathy, and children,
Brennan and Abby, during the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association conference in June.

 

Brian Hughes, Ed.D., ATC, professor and director of the Athletic Training Program at the University of Central Missouri (UCM), has been inducted into the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame.

The Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association (MoATA) oversees the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame, which honors medical professionals and individuals who have made lifetime or long-standing contributions that have significantly impacted the profession of athletic training and the athletic health care of student-athletes and active individuals in Missouri. 

Hall of Fame inductees must demonstrate leadership, dedication and service, and Hughes certainly has done that through his work with UCM students and by holding several leadership roles within state, district and national associations. Taking UCM’s motto, “Education for Service,” to heart, Hughes said his extensive involvement stems from a desire to simply step up and help make something better.

Hughes served on the Board of Certification’s Continuing Education Task Force from 2002-10, playing a key role in shaping the ongoing education of athletic trainers, hosted two MoATA meetings, chaired the Mid-America Athletic Trainers’ Association (MAATA) annual meeting from 2013-21, chaired the 2017 National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) Athletic Training Educators’ Conference, served as the District 5 representative to the NATA Professional Development Committee in 2014-19 and chaired the committee from 2019-21.

During his 24-year tenure at UCM, the Athletic Training program launched a master’s degree program and received three successful accreditations from the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education for bachelor’s and master’s degree levels.

UCM’s graduate program involves classroom instruction plus clinical mentorship with preceptors. Students work with athletic trainers, primary care physicians and orthopedic surgeons during clinical rotations, gaining more than 1,200 hours of directed clinical experience by the time they graduate. 

“It's the ability to take the student from having a lot of interest and passion and wanting to do this, and then to watch them grow and mold and mentor them, help them out,” Hughes said of his passion for teaching future athletic trainers. “I think a big thing about this program is that we take the theoretical and make it applicable. The preceptor model is a great way to take what you learn in the classroom and then clinically apply it to patients.”

Giving back to the UCM and athletic training communities financially is also important to Hughes. In October, he and his family established the Dr. Brian J. Hughes Scholarship for Leadership in Athletic Training with the UCM Alumni Foundation.

Hughes has been involved in athletic training since age 15, when he worked with his high school’s athletic trainer. This continued through college and into his career, which eventually led him to work in higher education.

“I think I kind of got that teaching bug from being a clinically practicing athletic trainer because I always wanted to make sure that my student-athletes knew what was going on when they got injured or ill,” Hughes recalled. “I was able to explain to them what's going on, and I have been able to take that and then teach my students those concepts.”

Hughes’ efforts to grow and improve the athletic training profession have earned him numerous accolades. In 2019, NATA presented Hughes with the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer Award, and he was inducted into the MAATA District 5 Hall of Fame in 2023. He also received MAATA’s Outstanding Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2017 and NATA’s Athletic Trainer Award for Service in 2016.

“The University of Central Missouri Athletic Training program prepared me for the athletic training field both professionally and personally,” said Brad Hensley, ‘15, lead athletic trainer at Rockhill Orthopaedic Specialists in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. “I was taught how to educate, communicate, question and respect the profession of athletic training. Dr. Hughes was the integral aspect of my athletic training education and preparation for life as a certified athletic trainer beyond school.”

Hensley’s relationship with UCM and Hughes has extended beyond his time as a student. This summer, UCM and Rockhill renewed their partnership as a clinical site for UCM Athletic Training students after being on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I have continued my relationship with Dr. Hughes because he has a wealth of knowledge and there is never a dull moment when he is around,” Hensley said. “The amount of quality students, professors and peers that he has helped mold into thriving individuals is the reason why he deserves to be in the MoATA Hall of Fame.”

Hughes is the fourth UCM representative inducted into the Missouri Sports Medicine Hall of Fame: Dr. David Glover in 2024, Ronald VanDam, Ph.D., in 1988 and Dr. T. Reed Maxon in 1985. Several UCM alumni have also been inducted.

 

Several UCM alumni, who were among the first graduates of UCM’s CAATE-accredited graduate program in 2023, joined
Brian Hughes for his Hall of Fame ceremony. From left, Brennen Hudson, Bret Haffer, Hughes and Jordan Guinn.